No spectators and none of the usual Royal Ascot spectacle, but it’s hard to imagine a more exciting renewal of the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes than Circus Maximus’s minimal victory over Terebellum on opening day of Royal Ascot 2020.
Four-year-old filly Terebellum looked a sure winner over 4-year-old colt Circus Maximus when she surged a length in front of him a furlong from the Queen Anne finish, but Circus Maximus and Ryan Moore fought back valiantly and won a head bob to capture the Queen Anne.
The second day of Royal Ascot on Wednesday sees Hugh Taylor with two advised bets, selections in the Silver Royal Hunt Cup and the Copper Horse Handicap.
AMBASSADORIAL produced his best-ever turf effort at Newmarket on his reappearance despite not seeming to be totally suited by the track, and given that race was run in a good time and that he’s only been put up a pound, he looks a bit overpriced in the Silver Royal Hunt Cup on day two at Royal Ascot (1.15).
Simon Rowlands has three selections plus analysis online for Wednesday, the second day of Royal Ascot 2020.
There is no doubting what the highlight of Wednesday at Royal Ascot is, as the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 3:00 is the sole Group 1 and one of only two Group races on the day-two card.
The race’s winners include some real notables of the sport, among them Mtoto, Dubai Millennium, Ouija Board, So You Think and Highland Reel. A select band of seven will go to post to attempt to add their name to that roll of honour.
Short-cut the form study! Kevin Blake has done the hard work for you and presents his cheat-sheet for three races on Wednesday.
The process behind finding the winner of a race can be as long or as short as one wishes to make it. It can be as simple as eeny, meeny, miny, moe or as complicated as an hours-long dive into every conceivable variable in search of relevant information.
All Things started at 1 5/16 miles for the first time at Wyong Racecourse in Australia earlier this month and had an ideal performance, closing from fourth of 10 to win by a neck.
All Things, a 4-year-old Australian-bred gelding, understandably was given a higher handicap rating for the win, his second victory in his last three starts.
Even with the hike, from 60 to 64, All Things does not appear to have too much of a weight burden when he starts in a handicap at 1 5/16 miles on Wednesday at Warwick Farm Racecourse.
Two years in a row, Stradivarius has made his season’s debut in the Yorkshire Cup in May and gone on a month or so later to win the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. This year, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was no racing during May in England, and so when Stradivarius attempts to win his third straight Gold Cup on Thursday, it will be on a much different schedule.
The formidable horse racing segment in the country of Japan has dreamed about winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for years, and Wednesday in England a horse named Japan takes what his connections surely hope is a first step toward the 2020 Arc.
:: Royal Ascot 2020: Get PPs, previews, analysis, recaps and more
Welcome to Royal Ascot 2020, a Royal Ascot like none before and one hopes like none to come.
Gone are the vast crowds, as this year’s event will be run behind closed doors, gone are the pageantry and fancy dress as a result, and gone are the ceremonials and forelock tugging associated with the family responsible for the “Royal” aspect of the meeting.
Sky Sports Racing's senior analyst Jamie Lynch presents his pick of the opportunities for Tote punters on the opening day of Royal Ascot.
There's a few things missing from Royal Ascot in 2020 - mostly people - but one constant can always be relied on whatever the circumstances and that is hugely competitive racing. As is usually the case, Tuesday's opening card offers everything, from the fastest horses around blazing up the Ascot straight in the King's Stand Stakes to one of the toughest long-distance handicaps of the season in the Ascot Stakes.
